Falls Church City Public Schools Falls Church City Public Schools

During a Special Meeting last night, the Falls Church City School Board unanimously passed a resolution to grant public school teachers and staff collective bargaining rights, empowering them to organize and elect a union or association capable of negotiating labor contracts encompassing wages, benefits, and specific working conditions.The Board also approved this year's VSBA Business Honor Roll and BIE Honored Partner Award Nominees. And Director of Communications, John Brett, presented an overview of FCCPS Communications efforts, products and services, and the 2023 FCCPS Communication Survey of the community results.

Falls Church City Manager of Falls Church, Wyatt Shields, and the School Board Chair, Laura Downs, presented their proposed budgets for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 to the City Council in a joint presentation.

The presentation covered various topics, including the financial needs of the city and the school district, as well as plans for infrastructure improvements, educational programs, and staff salaries. The joint presentation allowed for a cohesive and comprehensive discussion of the budget, with both parties sharing their priorities and concerns for the upcoming fiscal year. Members of the City Council had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed budgets, ensuring that the final budget would meet the community's needs.

The School Board meeting began with a video update of the Communications and Community Engagement pillar of the FCCPS Strategic Plan. Later in the meeting, the Board unanimously approved the First Reading of a Collective Bargaining Resolution last night, which follows Virginia legislation passed in May 2021. This legislation permits collective bargaining between Virginia school boards, counties, cities, towns, and their employees by adopting an authorizing ordinance or resolution. Collective bargaining is a negotiation process between FCCPS and a group of employees represented by a bargaining agent, such as a union, to establish employment terms and conditions.

The Falls Church School Board received a presentation of the Advanced Academic plan at Oak Street Elementary for the coming year, which proposes a 1.0 additional position at Oak Street to support the new model. The Board then unanimously approved its FY24 Advertised Budget, including the Advanced Academic teacher and many compensation and benefit improvements for all staff. The budget is now sent to the Falls Church City Manager, who adds it to the City's overall proposed budget for consideration by the City Council.
Final approval is expected in May.

During the FCCPS Strategic Plan Midyear Update, Superintendent Peter Noonan and Director of Strategic Planning & Community Engagement Marybeth Connelly presented a progress report on the activities aligned with the FCCPS Strategic Plan.

The Falls Church School Board convened its latest meeting last night, which marked the debut of Dr. Jerrod Anderson as the Interim School Board Member. Dr. Anderson is taking over the position from Phil Reitinger, who resigned from the board last month. The meeting started with a series of recognition events, including School Board Appreciation Month, School Board Clerk Appreciation Week, and the recent GIVE Day program. Additionally, the board received a comprehensive Mid-Year Update on the Strategic Plan, focusing on Investing in our People section. One of the main topics of discussion was the proposal to move the start times for the Secondary Campus later. The board reviewed recent research and considered the potential benefits and challenges of such a change. The meeting also included an update on the ongoing Collective Bargaining discussions and a Q&A session on the FY24 Budget.